The house of the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker attacked last Friday
An intruder who attacked the husband of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi was searching for the Democratic politician, reports say.
Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken to hospital after a break-in at their California home on Friday morning. The suspect has been identified as a 42-year-old man and is facing criminal charges including attempted homicide. He broke a glass rear door and – after confronting Mr. Pelosi – reportedly shouted: “Where is Nancy?”
Mrs. Pelosi was in Washington, and not at the San Francisco residence, when the incident took place. A spokesman for the senior Democrat said on Friday afternoon that Mr. Pelosi “was attacked at home by an assailant who acted with force, and threatened his life while demanding to see the Speaker”.
He was admitted to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital “where he underwent successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands”, the spokesman continued, adding that his doctors expect a full recovery.
In a news conference on Friday, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said officers responded to a call at around 02:27 local time (09:27 GMT) in the city’s wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood. They found Mr. Pelosi and the suspect – named by police as David DePape – both struggling over a hammer, but it was wrestled from Mr. Pelosi’s control by the suspect, who violently assaulted him with it.
The suspect was then tackled and disarmed by officers. He had attempted to tie up Mr. Pelosi “until Nancy got home”, law enforcement sources told CBS News. He is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and several other felonies, Mr. Scott said, adding that the motive for the attack was still unclear.
Mrs Pelosi is one of the most powerful politicians in the country. She was re-elected to a fourth term as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2021, making her second in line to the presidency after Vice-President Kamala Harris.
The Baltimore native has represented the San Francisco area in Congress since 1987, and typically splits her time between California and Washington. She is currently fundraising and campaigning with Democrats around the country ahead of the midterm elections on 8 November, and was in Washington with her security detail at the time of the attack. Mrs. Pelosi was expected to arrive at the hospital later on Friday, a source told CBS News in San Francisco.
Her husband, the multimillionaire founder of a venture capital firm, resides primarily in San Francisco where he was born and raised. The couple have been married since 1963 and have five children. Their combined net worth, primarily from Mr. Pelosi’s investments, has made the speaker one of the richest members of Congress.
The FBI and the US Capitol Police, which has a field office in California, are assisting San Francisco police with the investigation. The US Capitol Police, which is tasked with protecting congressional leaders, is said to be considering additional protections for families following the attack.
Members of Congress have been on high-alert over security threats since the riot at the US Capitol in January 2021. Mrs Pelosi’s office in the building was ransacked by supporters of then-President Donald Trump during the attack.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that while her husband, Paul, continues to improve following Friday’s violent attack in their San Francisco home, their children and grandchildren “are heartbroken and traumatized.” “Yesterday morning, a violent man broke into our family home, demanded to confront me and brutally attacked my husband Paul,” Pelosi wrote. “Our children, our grandchildren and I are heartbroken and traumatized by the life-threatening attack on our Pop.”
Source: CNN